The ingenious Roman invention that sparked the ancient empire’s obsession with luxury

The Roman Invention of Luxury

The ingenious Roman invention that sparked the ancient empire’s obsession with luxury was the hypocaust, a system of underfloor heating.

Beneath the mosaic floors of Roman villas, this system transformed warmth into a mark of power.

When thinking of Roman engineering, one might consider the grandest feats: the towering aqueducts, the amphitheatres, and the paved roads that stitched the Roman empire together.

However, the hypocaust remains one of the most recognizable features of Roman domestic life, with archaeologists pointing to the distinctive stacks of bricks beneath villa floors as a mark of Roman sophistication.

“The hypocaust system is really important for us to think about when we consider Roman homes,”

explains Dr Hannah Platts on the HistoryExtra podcast.

Author's summary: Romans invented underfloor heating.

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HistoryExtra HistoryExtra — 2025-10-21

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